


Friendship Bracelets

by toomuchdiscourse (orphan_account)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Friendship Bracelets, M/M, Married Couple, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 11:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10216793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/toomuchdiscourse
Summary: For prompt: "Making them a friendship bracelet after years of marriage "John has a new idea to help Aaron transition from a long night of work to actual sleep. Aaron thinks it's ridiculous, but he owes his husband for putting up with his occasional lack of self care.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hubris_BNL](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hubris_BNL/gifts).



> just proof-reading works and putting them up here instead of just on my tumblr

Aaron had been at the computer for a long time. He wasn't sure how long, having lost track of time somewhere along the way. The case wasn't done, so he wasn't done, mostly because Alexander had been needling him again, about motivation and commitment; as usual. 

There was a mug of tea by his side. Aaron did not remember where it came from, certain for a fact that he had not gotten up to make it. Unthinkingly, he tried a sip- it was ice cold, cooled long ago. It also wasn't even there the last time Aaron had looked up from his work. 

Carefully, Aaron took stock of his surroundings. A plate with crusts sat further out- but hadn't John brought him soup? No, that was earlier, he had the sandwich sometime later. Aaron blinked, surprised to find his eyes dry and irritated. He stretched, a painful kink flared in his neck. 

Aaron took a peek at the clock, and winced at the time. “John? Dear?” His throat rasped. A trickle of guilt wormed its way into Aaron's chest. John had been quietly taking care of him all day, and he'd barely even noticed. Aaron knew John had damn good reasons for hating that. 

Almost stumbling, Aaron stood up and poked his head out the study. The lights were on, but the big living room windows revealed the incriminating pitch-black outside. “You here?” Aaron wouldn't blame John for going to bed. He was being the opposite of a good spouse right now. 

Somehow though, John was curled up on the couch, under a blanket but awake and nose buried in a book. His head poked up at Aaron's voice. “Finally done, sugar?” His smile was small, a little uncertain. 

Aaron's guilt doubled. “Yeah, I'm done. Sorry for ignoring you all night, you didn't have to stay up for my sake.”

John's smile grew, a touch more genuine. “I stayed up because I wanted to. Of course, whether or not I forgive you is dependent on what you do next.” 

The words only made Aaron's heart fall. “I'm sorry. You know I won't be able to sleep right away after this. It's my fault for letting Alexander wind me up, I know, but all I can think about is that case.” It wasn't the first time Aaron had overworked himself and tried to sleep right after, nor the first time John tried to help him sleep anyways. “I can lie in bed next to you, though?”

Somehow, John's smile did not fall, and did not morph into that disappointed look when Aaron refused to take care of himself. “Not that. Somehow, after years of marriage, I've learned that much. But I've been looking online, and I found an interesting idea. One to distract you.” 

“Oh?” Aaron felt a smirk growing. “What kind of thing online?” His voice went low, and he moved over to John's side. “I wouldn't mind a distraction.” Aaron leaned over, snaking an arm over John's shoulder, cornering him into the couch. 

“Hah!” John snorted at his attempts at seduction. The noise startled Aaron into losing his balance, admittedly poor after a whole day of not moving. He fell against John's chest with a yelp. “Darling, you are adorable.” Aaron felt a sloppy wet kiss against the crown of his head.

“I'd rather be sexy,” Aaron grumbled.

John laughed, airy breaths tickling the wet spot on his head. “You are, when you haven't been hunched over a laptop since dawn. And no, it's not that kind of distraction.” 

Aaron whined, cuddling into the body underneath him and nuzzling into his chest. “Why not?”

“I've got something better than sex. Look!” John tapped Aaron's ear with his phone. Aaron obliged, looking up and into a picture. 

“Friendship bracelets?” Aaron raised his brows, baffled. “Do we even have the coloured string for it?” 

“No, but going to the dollar store three blocks away will get us both some fresh air, and I've heard they're very good for distracting people from negative thought.” 

Aaron hummed. Truthfully, he didn't feel like making friendship bracelets, and the whole idea sounded dumb;. but John wanted to try it. He only wanted to help, and he was looking at Aaron with that soft, playful grin on his face. 

Aaron sighed. “I'll get my shoes on.”

-

The air outside was brisk; the walk to and from the store actually pleasant. A light flush rose in John's cheeks from the cold. Aaron couldn't stop himself from leaning his face in, to tenderly kiss the cool, reddened skin. His nose skimmed against freckles, too close to avoid contact. 

“Oh my god, how are you so damn clingy!” John pushed Aaron off, wearing a face of mock exasperation quickly ruined by barely-held back laughter. 

Aaron snorted, holding no such restraint. “Only when I'm work-exhausted. Don't pretend you aren't cuddly after a long overtime shift- I was perfectly non-touchy before you, you know.” 

John sighed, unlocking the apartment door and pulling a shoe off with his free hand. “Fuck that, you've craved physical contact from the beginning. I just taught you to stop being shy about it.” 

Aaron grinned, toeing his shoes off as well. “Still your fault.” He peered over at the plastic bag John was already dumping over the coffee table. “We can't possibly need that many colours.” 

John's eyes widened, as if serious. “You can never have too many colours in a friendship bracelet. Have you never been to summer camp?”

Aaron padded over with a wry smile. “No, actually. Never made any friendship bracelets either, before you ask.” A genuine note of surprise quickly overtook John's previous teasing. 

Suddenly, Aaron's arms were full of Husband. “This is awful! How have you never made a friendship bracelet? My childhood sucked and I still got to make plenty!” Arms tightened across Aaron's midsection. Aaron patted John's back in return, touched despite the dramatics. 

“It just never came up. I'm not saying I never had friends as a kid, you know, we just never went to camp or made bracelets. I had to work in the summer, usually.”

“Ugh,” John made an automatic, disgusted sound. Aaron could relate. 

“Though, you know,” Aaron said, quietly because John's ear was so close already. “You can show me how.” 

John's eyes lit up. “I'd love to!” He punctuated his words with a quick kiss on the lips. No matter how long they were together, Aaron would never get fully used to the casual affections John so frequently gave. John shot Aaron a mischievous little smile and ducked down a bit, bending his knees. With a sharp heave, he lifted Aaron, waddled over to the table, and dropped him down on the couch.

Aaron blinked, dazed into silence at his husband's casual show of strength- despite not being much taller than Aaron himself. “You just wait there sugar, and I'll get some fresh decaf tea.” Aaron would never get used to that, either. 

In the end, the bracelet itself was simple. John demonstrated for a few minutes, strands of colourful string taped to the table on one end for leverage, and twisted over each other. It was an easy repetitive pattern. 

“Your colours are boring, sugar.” John said, raising an eyebrow.

Aaron frowned at his Red and Brown. “I like them, what's wrong with them?” 

“You need more! Come on, where's your pink? Your orange? Your teal?” John gestured dramatically at the veritable pile of thread. “You need four minimum.” 

It would, perhaps, be a shame to waste such variety. Aaron huffed a short laugh, and reached for the White and Black. John sighed. “You're hopeless.” 

John's bracelet, of course, had as many colours as threads he could feasibly combine. “One of us has to be the reasonable one,” Aaron teased, gesturing at John's mess.

“Oh, just keep braiding. We'll see whose it better.” And so Aaron did. 

When Aaron stopped braiding, it was only to John's outright laugh. “Sugar, I think you're done.” 

Aaron took another look at the braided string. It's pattern was perfect, but it was perhaps twice as long as it needed to be. Aaron tried to figure out how he had lost track of time yet again, but all he found was a yawn. He blinked slowly- was he actually sleepy? 

“So, can I assume it worked?” John teased, smirking as Aaron rubbed his eyes. 

“Oh shush,” Aaron objected, if only because of how damn smug John looked. But he wasn't wrong. Aaron also couldn't remember when the thread of case thoughts had been replaced by thoughts of actual thread. “Just show me how to tie them off.” 

John obliged, but didn't lose the self satisfied smirk. Aaron let him have it, following the directions closely. 

“And now, the most important part of friendship bracelets.” John raised his voice, as if making an important announcement. Aaron humoured it, straightening his back to attention. “Give me your hand.” 

Confused, Aaron did so. He watched as John took his bracelet and carefully knotted it around Aaron's wrist. Right. He'd forgotten that these things were generally exchanged. Slowly, Aaron took John's arm and repeated the process in turn. 

“It is boring, after all.” John turned his wrist in front of his face, considering. “But it wouldn't be you if it wasn't at least a little tame. Thanks, sugar.” He shot a toothy smile. 

Aaron looked at his. It was exactly the mess Aaron had expected, far too many threads making the bracelet thick and bulky and an absolute eyesore of colours. “I love it,” Aaron whispered, completely sincere. “I'm also going to fall asleep. Let's go to bed.” 

John whooped, pulling Aaron into a deep kiss. “Then let's go to bed.” He bounced to his feet.

Aaron followed, sleepy and more than a little gone. He was wearing this bracelet forever.


End file.
